I am seeking participants for a panel to be proposed for next yearâ€™sNarrative Conference in Austin, TX, May 1-4, 2008. Please send 1-pageabstracts to Zachary Lamm (zlamm_at_luc.edu) by October 1, 2007.

This panel will explore the use of narrative in pornographic texts.Pornography has had a troubled relationship to narrative and is oftenportrayed as utilizing narrative in only its most rudimentary forms: crudeframe stories, repetitive actions, predictable outcomes. But pornographyâ€™snarratives structures have also been key to public discourses of sexualnormativity, gendered violence, and social justice. By considering thesignificance of narrative in pornography, and the significance of thenarratives we make about pornography, we can arrive at a betterunderstanding of the workings of ideology in pornographic texts and theeffects of pornographic narratives within the larger culture. Work may beon pornography in any media, and using any relevant approach.

Topics of interest include the following:

Uses of narrative across pornographic media (writing, photography, film, etc.)Relationship of the pornographic to other forms of narrativeGender and other types of identity formation in pornographyConstructions of heterosexuality and homosexualityTheories of desire in narrative pornographyNormativity, queerness, and perversityPornographic new mediaPortrayals of everyday life in pornographyUses of pornography in everyday lifeCommunity formation in/around pornographic textsAudience responses (and participation)The mise-en-scene of pornographySupplementary texts to pornographyRepetition and redundancyPornographic narratives in/of public spacePorno serialityPornographic adaptationsHard-core versus soft-core narrativesNew takes on pornographic narratives in public discourseNarratives of risk, consent, dangerHealth and safety narratives

Zachary LammDepartment of EnglishLoyola University Chicagozlamm_at_luc.edu